Goku
Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He first appears in the manga chapter Bulma and Son Goku first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984. He is loosely based on Sun Wukong, a central character in Journey to the West. However, Toriyama changed some of his characteristics to be more original. Goku is introduced as an odd, monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possesses superhuman strength. As the story unfolds, he is actually revealed to be from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans, said to be the strongest warriors within the fictional universe. Goku has starred in most of the episodes, films, and specials of the anime series Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT, as well as many of the spin-off video games. Outside of the Dragon Ball franchise, Goku has had cameo appearances in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z. He has also been the subject of other parodies, and has appeared in various special events and in American pop culture. Goku is usually recognized by his uniquely styled hair, which never changes its length throughout the series except when in his Super Saiyan forms, in which his hair changes color and length based on the level he ascends to. This is explained by Vegeta to be a common characteristic of full-blooded Saiyans. Due to his devotion to Earth, Goku prefers dressing in a gi uniform, and has refused offers to adorn the Saiyan battle fatigues, being that he considers himself an Earthling. However, he is seen donning a Saiyan battle fatigues designed by Bulma, during the time he trains with Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at Kami's Palace, prior to the Cell Games. In his early childhood, Goku was first introduced wearing a blue uniform with red wristbands and a white belt tied in a bow. After his training with Roshi, he receives his trademark orange uniform, blue wristbands, and a black belt tied in a knot, and after his training with Kami, he adds his trademark blue undershirt and striped boots to this outfit. Goku is also often seen to wear the encircled kanji of his training masters on the front and back of this uniform; the first kanji being Roshi's, "kame" , the second kanji being King Kai's, "kaio" and the third being his own kanji "Go" . Eventually he stops wearing a kanji and also wears a blue obi in place of his belt. By the end of the manga, Goku is shown wearing a new outfit made up of a blue slip-over shirt, gray pants and orange wristbands and shinbands. In Dragon Ball GT, Goku's entire appearance is revamped featuring him wearing a blue fold-over shirt, yellow pants, pink wristbands, and white shinbands, as well as having a more tan skin complexion. Originally named Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto?, addressed as Kakarot in the English anime and spelled Kakarrot in the English manga),1617 Goku is born a member of a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans. Shortly following his birth, Goku is sent from his home, a fictional planet named Vegeta, to prepare Earth for sale on the intergalactic market by destroying all its life.18 Due to an injury to his head that caused him severe amnesia, Goku forgets his purpose, and instead focuses on becoming stronger for little more than the pleasure of it.18 In the beginning of the series, Goku meets a highly intelligent 16-year-old teenage girl named Bulma, the desert bandit Yamcha, and two shapeshifters named Oolong and Puar. He also encounters one of his closest friends, Krillin, and others during his training. Participating in various martial arts tournaments, Goku also battles foes-turned-allies such as Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, as well as Piccolo Daimao's offspring of the same name.During his early adulthood, Goku meets his older brother, Raditz, an encounter that results in his death. Following the wish for his revival from the Dragon Balls, Goku continues to face other enemies linked to his heritage, such as Vegeta, who eventually also becomes his ally, and Frieza, whose actions cause Goku to transform into a Super Saiyan. After his epic battle with Frieza, the focus on Goku's past is shifted away, as new enemies are introduced as threats to the fictional universe. As the series continues, Goku trains his first child, Gohan, to be his successor. When the androids appear, Goku contracts the heart virus that Future Trunks warns him about earlier, but is able to recover thanks to the medicine that Trunks had given him. Later on, Goku sacrifices himself for the second time during the battle against the evil life form Cell, leaving Gohan to avenge him. Goku returns to Earth from the afterlife seven years later and meets his second child, Son Goten. Shortly after, he participates in the next martial arts tournament, however he is drawn into a battle for the universe against an extraterrestrial named Majin Buu. Goku also battles Vegeta after he is taken under control by Babidi. Later on, Goku kills Buu with his Genki Dama technique. During the martial arts tournament held ten years after Buu's defeat, Goku meets Buu's human reincarnation, Uub, and takes off with him, in the end of the story, intending to train him as another successor.In the anime-only series Dragon Ball GT, which begins ten years after Goku meets Uub, Goku is transformed back into a child with a wish made by Emperor Pilaf using the Black Star Dragon Balls. Shortly after he, Trunks, and his granddaughter Pan all take a trip around the universe to locate the Black Star Dragon Balls and return them to Earth. Goku later battles the evil Baby, Super Android 17 and the evil shadow dragons. His final challenge is against Omega Shenron, who he eventually kills using the Genki Dama. Goku leaves with the original form of Shenron, only to appear 100 years later at the next martial arts tournament as an adult once more, where he is observing the battle between his descendant (Son Goku Jr.) and Vegeta's descendant. An elderly Pan spots her grandfather, but he quickly departs.Through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities; aside from his great strength, he also possesses super speed,19 reflexes and can perform energy blasts which are formed from chi. As a child Goku originally wielded the Nyoi-bo (如意棒, lit. "Mind Stick"?, renamed "Power Pole" in the English dub), a magic staff that extends and retracts on command which was given to him by his adoptive grandfather.1 He also learns, through simple observation, Master Roshi's energy blast technique the Kamehameha (かめはめ波, lit. "Turtle Striking Wave"?),20 which becomes his signature move. Originally Goku's main means of conveyance was on a magic cloud called Kinto-un (筋斗雲, lit. "Candy Cloud"?, renamed "Flying Nimbus" in the English dub), which was given to him as a child by Roshi for saving his pet sea turtle.21 After his training with Kami he learns to fly through the technique Buku-jutsu (舞空術, lit. "Air Dance Technique"?) and uses the cloud less and less as the series progresses. Goku in his regular state and Super Saiyan transformations.Another notable technique of Goku's is an attack that multiplies the user's chi for an instant, called the Kaio-ken (界王拳, lit. "World King Fist"?), taught to him by King Kai.22 However, Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama (元気玉, lit. "Good Spirit Ball"?, renamed "Spirit Bomb" in the English dub), a powerful sphere created by gathering chi energy from surrounding life forms, which he also learned from King Kai.11 Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Ido (瞬間移動, lit. "Instant Movement"?, renamed "Instant Transmission" in the English dub), which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.23Goku is also the only Saiyan in the series to achieve all the Saiyan transformations seen in the manga. In Dragon Ball, he is able to transform into a gigantic ape called an "Oozaru",24 albeit after his tail is removed by Kami, he loses the capacity to achieve this form.25 However, in Dragon Ball GT, Goku is able to use this transformation again after regrowing his tail using the Elder Kai's help.26During the events of Dragon Ball Z, Goku becomes the first Super Saiyan in a millennium after being overcome with rage by the murder of Krillin at the hands of Frieza27 and as the series progresses he achieves every single advanced level of Super Saiyan. Each transformation changes Goku's appearance and enhances his abilities.Goku can also fuse with Vegeta and create a warrior who has the combined power and skills of both. One method is by using the Potara Earrings presented to Goku by the Elder Kai, which results in a 'perfect fusion', creating Vegito.28 The other method is by performing the Metamorese Fusion Dance, which creates Gogeta.29